


I'll Follow You Into The Dark

by Amlika



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Horror, M/M, ghost - Freeform, horror with love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 23:32:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6260437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amlika/pseuds/Amlika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since Jongin was a child, there was always something under his bed. Now that he has a son of his own, the boy complains about something under his bed too. Jongin does not dismiss it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Follow You Into The Dark

There was fog everywhere, thick, swirling, covering up all the tall evergreen trees reaching into the sky, as far as the eye could see. 

Jongin was walking in the forest, disoriented and brushing aside the branches and shrubs in the way. He wanted to run, to get to his destination and escape this cold and damp place. 

But no matter how fast he could run, he didn't know where he was heading. 

He then heard the breathing of the beast, loud and fearful, dripping with animalistic urges. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...

And a rancid and putrid smell filled the air, like rotting corpses, mixed with the unmistakable metallic notes of fresh blood from the last victim.

Jongin hid behind a tree and peered out, heart pounding in his chest. 

The monster was easily double his height, walking on its hind legs with the front body raised from the ground in a crouched position. Long black hair shifting in some mysterious wind, sharp teeth protruding from his open mouth, and glowing ember eyes that burned onto Jongin's soul. 

When their eyes locked, Jongin knew he had to run. 

He tumbled through the forest, but could hear the monstrous growls closing in rapidly behind him. As exhaustion took over, he knew that no matter how desperately he tried to outrun the monster, it was only a matter of time before it was all over, and he would be devoured.

Then a heartbreaking scream made him look back. 

The monster had caught someone instead of him, and had her pinned down savagely on the ground. Her pretty white dress was dragged through the dirt, long wavy black hair tangled up in a mess around her face. Her feeble attempts at pushing the monster away seemed so futile, as the dense fog encircled and consumed them both. She turned around to look at Jongin with pretty brown eyes that were shockingly calm. In her eyes there was a glint of sadness that hit him right in the heart. 

Jongin woke up gasping for air, a thin layer of sweat covering his face. He was alone in bed, in the darkness of his bedroom.

That girl in the dream was his wife Chen. It was all just a terrible nightmare, because Chen could not be harmed anymore. It had been five years since she passed away in a traffic accident, the victim of a drunk driver.

 

Feeling suffocated by the stagnant air of the dark bedroom, Jongin hastily put on some clothes, hurried down the stairs and opened the door to the backyard. 

The blast of cold air was refreshing and immensely welcomed as it woke up all his senses and swept away the horror of the nightmare. In front of him, as far as the eyes could see, was the familiar view of a serene lake, mirror surface shimmering with the reflection of moonlight. Jongin walked onto the wooden patio and was comforted by the scenery that he had grown up with. Sitting down on a bench, he allowed memories of the past to flood his mind and wash away the residues of the dream.

He remembered moving into this house with his parents when he was still very young. The house was in better condition back then, already decades old but freshly painted and filled with the joy of new ownership. There were barbecues, water fights, and birthday parties on this very patio. Countless happy memories of simple family moments. 

But then mom and dad started having arguments. Jongin remembered falling asleep in his bedroom while the clamor and shouting downstairs continued into the night. Those were the nights when he had nightmares, dreams of a dark furry monster hiding under his bed and making a ruckus trying to get out.

Things settled down a bit after dad stormed out one day with his luggage. Mom was never the same again, always quiet and worked long hours to provide for the family.

The nightmares followed him as he grew up, of dark creatures deep in the woods doing monstrous things. He tried to talk to mom about it but she brushed it off, too tired from her own struggles in life. A single mom's life was not so easy in such a small town, where everyone gossiped and cast their judgemental views on things. Jongin knew at a young age that his peers joked about him being without a dad behind his back, and having peculiar interests in dark mystery novels and bug collections.

Slowly Jongin stopped sharing thoughts with others. He got used to reading in the corner by himself, or analyzing dying insects on the lawn for hours, probing and burning them with lighters. His collection of bugs took over all the walls in his room - beetles, flies, roaches, and the likes - with the wings carefully spread out, and legs and antennae arranged meticulously. He loved going into the woods, further and further away from town, to read and collect bugs alone. 

Jongin specifically remembered a day in elementary when an older boy stepped on his bug collection. 

"Get out of the way you bastard, we don't want your freaky bugs here." The older boy spoke mockingly, rousing a round of laughters from the crowd. 

Jongin felt the simmering anger rising inside him, and shoved the boy to the ground with a strength that even surprised himself. Then a strange sensation took over as his memories became hazy, with a sense of freedom that broke free from within. He was almost relieved this stupid boy gave him the excuse to unleash.

The next few moments were blurry in his memory, except for a few fragmented snapshots of the other boy's bloody face on the ground, full of fear and panic. 

The next thing he recalled, a little girl jumped in and pulled him away from the bleeding boy on the ground. "Enough, Jongin! Stop hitting him, you'll both get in trouble!" 

She was much shorter than him, a frail little thing with sparkly brown eyes, grabbing him by his arm with her tiny hand. But there was something also very resilient about her, demanding him to pay attention and listen. 

Jongin looked at the boy and finally snapped out of his trance. The crowd around them was silent now, speechless and scared. 

Too many people, too many judgmental eyes. Jongin's head was swimming. He held onto the girl's hand and took off from the crowd. 

They finally stopped running when they were at the other end of the school yard, alone. 

"How do you know my name?" Jongin peered at her curiously, as he felt the burning anger simmer down inside of himself. 

"We've been in class together for a year now, of course I know your name. You just never look up from your books." The girl grinned as her eyes crinkled into the prettiest crescent moons Jongin had ever seen. "My name is Chen." 

Looking at the little girl in front of him, Jongin felt a rush of emotions welling up, feelings that he didn't even understand. He wanted to scream, to cry, to let out all his frustration. But all he could do was stand there, looking frustrated with himself. 

Then he felt her soft and gentle hand reaching to his. "It's ok. You don't need to explain. You are ok." Chen's voice was soothing and cheerful, and her lips curled up in a comforting smile. 

 

Jongin remembered getting into a lot of trouble for that day's behavior. The other boy suffered a fractured cheekbone and a broken nose. Even the adults couldn't explain how an eight-year old boy could possibly punch so hard, but nobody ever bothered Jongin again. Just more gossip and whispers that followed him around like a dark cloud. 

But Jongin didn't care. He had Chen now - his solace from the rest of the world. 

They were inseparable ever since that day. Two little heads always huddled together, away from the crowd. Over the years, Jongin stretched out more, and became a tall lanky figure that always stood behind Chen. But he knew Chen was the one with the emotional strength to protect both of them, trying tirelessly to help others get to know the quiet and reserved Jongin. 

"So you had a temper as a kid, not a big deal. You are perfect the way you are, and one day they will see it too, just give them some time." Her cheerful demeanor could bring optimism to even the most hardened recluse, so Jongin let her handle the social situations, and watched with an indulgent smile from the sideline. Chen was also the one that encouraged Jongin to document all his thoughts on paper as an outlet, and cheered him on as his stories slowly started to get published.

Time flew, faster than anyone could grasp. When they announced their engagement shortly after entering the local college together, everyone expected it and was overjoyed. The wedding was beautiful and serene. Chen was a vision in angelic white smiling through joyful tears. Her long wavy hair was decorated with blooming gardenia flowers. But the most unforgettable moment for Jongin was the night before, when they exchanged a secret promise on this very patio, under the watchful eyes of the silver moon.

 

Jongin wasn't sure how long he sat on the patio reminiscing, with nothing but the lake, the moon, and the old crumbling house keeping him company. Memories were highly addictive things, and he tried not to indulge too often, but sometimes he still got lost in nostalgia, and forgot who he was in the present all together. 

 

********************

 

The bright light of the day was always good for chasing away the melancholy that seemed unshakable at night, Jongin thought as he packed up groceries on his drive through town the next day.

Summerland was a small lakeside town in British Columbia, Canada, where the misty spruce-filled mountains sloped down into the crystal clear glacier water of Lake Okanagan. After a winter of snowy hibernation, spring always injected the town once again with the anticipation of tourism in the summer. Since Jongin's old house was miles away from town, it afforded him the luxury of a sanctuary away from the townsfolk, and the steady stream of transient youngsters that enjoyed an occasional summer job. 

"Haven't seen you around for a while!" 

Jongin looked up to see a curious face staring at him by the curbside. It was Taemin, who just started working at the local coffee shop last fall. Something about Taemin always seemed a little off to Jongin - the permanent grin that was frozen on his face, the wide open eyes looking for mischief, the ragged clothing and always unshaved face - something slightly disturbing. The rumor he heard about Taemin becoming extremely aggressive one night after drinking and nearly stabbing a coworker over a girl didn't help either.

"Hi. Just passing by." Jongin packed all the groceries up and opened the driver side door, avoiding eye contact. 

"Picking up Kyungsoo at school?" Taemin was clearly not the kind to pick up on social cues for being ignored. 

"Uhm." 

As Jongin started the car engine, Taemin's nonchalant words made him pause. "It's good to watch out for your kid these days. I heard a teacher has been missing for a week. Mr. Adams I think? I never liked that dude, man, always telling us creepy stories about the kids. Good riddance I say."

Something snapped inside Jongin upon hearing those words, and he stepped on the pedal without saying goodbye, leaving Taemin behind looking surprised in the rear view mirror. Jongin didn't care, he suddenly had the urge to find Kyungsoo and get the hell back home as quickly as possible.

Pulling up curbside at the elementary, Jongin saw Kyungsoo sitting quietly on the door steps, and felt his heart soften. As usual, Kyungsoo was absorbed in reading, with a paperback perched on his knees and ignoring all the other clamoring kids around him. The black shirt he ironed himself this morning was still perfectly neat, and made his tiny eight-year-old silhouette seem older in a crowd full of vibrant colors. 

 

Then he looked up and spotted Jongin. His eyes sparkled as he walked over to the car quietly.

"How was school today?" Jongin asked, as Kyungsoo climbed into the car and buckled up in the passenger seat. 

"Good." Kyungsoo sounded calm but said no more. He was never much of a talker.

Silence filled the car as they drove home. Finally Jongin asked. "So I heard your teacher Mr. Adams was not at school."

"Yeah. Not there. I don't like him." 

Jongin tried to sound lighthearted. "I know buddy, we talked about this. If he comes back, just keep telling the other teachers when he makes you feel weird ok?" 

Kyungsoo's voice was quiet. "I don't think he'll be back Daddy." 

"How do you know that?" 

In the corner of his eye, Jongin could see Kyungsoo staring at him with dark impassive eyes. He was not sure why it made him feel uncomfortable. The feeling of those eyes tracing his movements lingered, long after they got home.

 

***************************

 

The forest was pitch black this time, and the moon nowhere to be found in the night sky. The flashlight in Jongin's left hand illuminated the small area next to his feet, while all around him an impenetrable layer of darkness hid everything from his eyesight. He tried not to get spooked by the strange ruffles around him and the occasional howling of a wild animal. After all, there was nothing he could do but to keep walking blindly through the endless void. 

He felt his foot hit something and paused. The flickering flashlight revealed the edge of a large pile of dirt, soft and uncompressed, maybe freshly dug from the ground. Jongin traced around the pile and walked carefully. He could feel sweat soaking through his shirt, and a layer of grime covering all over his exposed skin, but he kept walking. It was time to get out of here, out of this dark and hellish place.

By the time Jongin felt the wet and rapid breathing down his neck from the back, he knew it was too late. The ferrous smell of fresh blood that followed was so sharp and penetrating, he could almost taste it in his mouth. Reluctantly he turned around, heart pounding out of his chest. 

In the darkness, a set of bloodshot and burning eyes glared at him from above his head. A terrifying roar followed, deafening and full of violence. Jongin stumbled to back off, until suddenly his foot stepped into hollowness. 

The world spun as he tumbled downward deep into the ground, sharp pains all over his body awakening the senses upon hitting hard soil. In the pitch darkness, Jongin struggled to sit up, hands blindly searching through the surrounding for clues of his whereabouts. Cold and damp dirt everywhere, a putrid rotting smell filling the air. High up above him, at the edge of the deep pit, the prancing footsteps and urgent grunting of the monster lingered.

Then the distant scream of a child made Jongin freeze in terror. The familiar voice was desperate and teary, penetrating through his heart like nothing he had ever felt before. He could hear the monster above him pausing too, sniffing and grunting, before releasing an excited howl and taking off towards the direction of the scream. 

_No, not Kyungsoo._ The terrifying realization almost knocked him over.

In Jongin's mind, he could feel the monster responding, as its animalistic desires resonated in his own body: _but you summoned me, master. You wanted all of them to suffer._

The horror of the nightmare knocked him awake, as he sat up in bed gasping for air again, covered in sweat. 

But the scream from the dream continued, loud and pleading from the bedroom next door. Kyungsoo. 

Jongin bolted out of bed and ran into Kyungsoo's bedroom. The tiny figure sitting by the headboard was crouched up, and instantaneously reminded him of another little boy in the very same spot many years ago. He turned on the lamp beside the bed and sat down. 

Kyungsoo's hair was drenched in sweat. His big expressive eyes were opened wide in fear, and tear streaks covered his flushed cheeks. As Jongin embraced his small frame, he could feel the boy trembling uncontrollably as the screaming and crying continued. 

"Shhh, it's ok. Daddy is here. You are ok. Shhh." Jongin stroked Kyungsoo's back and shoulder gently and kept repeating soft and comforting words until the scream slowly died down and was replaced by loud sniffling. Finally, Kyungsoo looked up at him with a glint of recognition beyond the pure terror.

It took a while for the loud sniffling and trembling to also subside. Jongin gave the boy some more time before finally inquiring him gently. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" 

"It's not a nightmare. There's a dark furry monster under my bed, and he wants to come up and eat me." 

Jongin could feel words rushing to the tip of his tongue, words about monsters not being real; but he swallowed them, as memories of his own nightmare flashed across his mind. Memories so fresh and detailed they were almost palpable. 

Kyungsoo spoke again. "I'll ask Mom, she can help me." 

This time, words spluttered out of Jongin before he could stop them. "Kyungsoo... I told you before, Mom is not around anymore, you can't keep saying things like that." 

Kyungsoo kept talking. "Mom is with us, Dad, you have to listen to me. Sometimes she visits me at the playground, other times we just talk on the patio. She will know what to do with the monster-"

"Kyungsoo, that's enough!" Jongin's voice snapped bitterly. The small frame in Jongin's embrace stiffened up, and made him regret his words. Jongin collected his thoughts and softened his tone. "I'm sorry. Promise me you won't talk like this around other people." 

_Never let people know you are different. They won't understand._

With a heavy sigh, Jongin looked around Kyungsoo's room. The dim lighting couldn't hide the age of the eggshell colored walls that he and Chen painted together before the boy was born. He could almost hear Chen's laughter as he teasingly smeared paint on her nose. The furnitures were bought from the big cosmopolitan city many hours away, of which Chen jokingly mentioned cost more than their wedding. It did take almost all of their savings at the time, but Jongin couldn't say no to his beautiful pregnant wife, who was practically beaming with maternal love. 

Everything in the room held a memory of Chen - the drawings Kyungsoo did that she framed and hung up on the wall, the stuffed animals in the corner of the room that the mom and son use to play together, the tattered teddy bear blanket on the bed that was her first sewing project… Everything a little worn out and dusty, but Kyungsoo was particular about their specific places in his room, and Jongin never pushed hard enough to get rid of them. 

As Jongin surveyed the old relics surrounding them and held his son closer, he heard a quiet sigh that made him shudder. Was it the creaking of the old crumbly house, or the monster under the bed, he couldn't say. But no matter, that night, he moved Kyungsoo’s bed to the basement, as far away from the monster room as possible. 

Kyungsoo didn't say much for the rest of the night, except when Jongin tucked him in again in the basement and kissed him goodnight. He looked up with dark penetrating eyes, and asked plainly. “Why am I sleeping in the basement, Dad?”

Jongin paused, then mustered an encouraging smile. “Because there's no monster under the bed here, you will be safe.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes remained fixed on Jongin, impassive stare that made him want to look away. “But dad, the monster said he was already here. He was not leaving.” 

 

********************

 

The deafening sound of the thunder pierced through the night, demanding to be acknowledged. It snapped Jongin back into reality from the dreamlike trance, just in time to be jolted awake once more by the silvery lightning that flashed through all the windows. 

The downpour of torrential rain outside persisted since late afternoon into the evening, and showed no sign of slowing down. Jongin was glad Kyungsoo and him were already home. 

“...but as we all know there is SO much forest area to search through close to town, and our boss has already told us to slow down and instead focus on all the drunken tourist debauchery that’s on the rise. No rest for the wicked I guess.” Sitting in Jongin’s small kitchen, with a cup of tea already turning cold in her hand, Amber loosened the wrist button of her police uniform and rambled on and on, while her patrol partner Kris next to her looked utterly bored. 

She proceeded to describe more of the police search for the missing teacher, until Kris finally interjected with a question of his own for Jongin. “Has Kyungsoo been acting strangely at all? The day before Mr. Adams disappeared, they were heard having a loud argument alone in a classroom. Kyungsoo was seen running out crying.”

Sitting the other side of the kitchen table, Jongin's face was partially in the dark. “He’s fine, quiet as usual.” 

“Can we talk to him for a bit?” Kris pressed on.

“It's getting late, he's finishing homework in the basement. Maybe tomorrow at school.” 

“Jeez, Kris, I thought you just wanted to come chill with Jongin tonight, I didn't know you were gonna interrogate Kyungsoo.” Amber rolled her eyes and nudged her partner not so subtly. “We were at Jongin’s wedding for goodness sake. They are good people. Don't freak them out with your crazy theories.” 

Kris swallowed his words, and the room fell into momentary silence as each person contemplated on their thoughts.

Finally, Jongin's calm voice cut through the stilled air. "I bumped into Taemin in town, he seemed to have known Mr. Adams."

"Taemin, that creepy new kid in town? Hmm." Amber glanced at Kris thoughtfully. "Anyways, sometime people just get sick of their lives, and then one day, poof- " she gestured with her hands, "-they are gone. Like that drunk driver that hit Chen all those years ago on that rainy night, nobody ever saw him again right?"

The room fell into an awkward quietness again. Jongin's grip on his tea cup grew tighter. 

This time Kris spoke up to break the spell of the silence. "Well, doesn't seem like the storm will stop any time soon. We should probably be on our way. Thanks for having us tonight, Jongin." 

"Any time. Drive safely on the way back to town." Jongin spoke. He gave both of them a light hug, and promised Amber he would visit her mom soon, before seeing them leave. 

As Jongin closed the front door, he heard footsteps on the stairs from the basement. Kyungsoo emerged, already in his pajamas, looking a little tired and ready for bed.

"Are they finally gone?" 

Jongin went to the fridge to get some milk for the boy, and asked casually. "Why did you not want to see them, buddy? I thought you always liked Amber." 

"I don't want to talk about Mr. Adams." Kyungsoo sounded defiant.

Jongin persisted reluctantly. "Well, auntie Amber might pop by school tomorrow to talk to you about it anyways-"

"I SAID I don't want to talk about Mr. Adams!" The boy was now clutching his fists and looking clearly upset.

Jongin was starting to get impatient himself. He looked at the boy straight on and changed to an authoritative tone. "Kyungsoo, you have to cooperate with the police and answer their questions. Don't be afraid to tell them what Mr. Adams did." 

Long pause. Kyungsoo looked down with furrowed eyebrows. Then shockingly, Jongin realized his son was getting teary-eyed. His heart softened as he walked over to hug the boy. "It's ok, Mr. Adams can't hurt you anymore. I will protect you." 

His words made Kyungsoo freeze and hold his breath in alarm. His tiny body rejected the hug as he looked up with frustration in his eyes. 

"Stop, Daddy." 

"Stop what? Kyungsoo, what's wrong?" 

"Stop trying to protect me. I'm fine. Please just tell the monster to leave this house." Kyungsoo's voice began to crack under the strain. 

"What do you mean, Kyungsoo? How do I tell the monster to leave?" Suddenly Jongin's voice became a whisper. He was not sure why he started to fear for what Kyungsoo would say next. 

Something was terribly wrong.

Kyungsoo glanced at him, eyes full of sorrow and despair. He breathed in deeply, as if to muster together the courage to speak again. The words came out soft but determined, before he turned around to walk away.

"You called for him. You wanted them to suffer remember? The monster is already within you, Daddy." 

Jongin felt the world spinning as his mind went blank, and a deafening ringing vibrated in his ears. The silhouette of Kyungsoo walking away towards the dark staircase seemed so small and alone. He could feel the familiar sensation of suffocating, as panic swept over him like a tidal wave. Jongin stumbled to his bedroom and opened the bottle of Seroquel in the drawer. He curled up in bed trembling, and waited for the pills to take effect. The room was still spinning as nausea filled his head, Jongin closed his eyes and wished for everything to go away.

Solace in darkness and silence, saved for the rapid pounding of his heart thumping in his ears. In his dream-like trance, Jongin saw broken fragments of memory flashing before his eyes. Grainy and disturbing, but no longer could be ignored. Snapshots of the dark and damp forest, of freshly dug pits smelling of blood and decay, of rigid bodies forced into symmetrical positions resembling dried insects pinned onto a board. 

He felt his mind spiraling into hell and anguish, deeper and deeper with every shocking image it recalled. 

Jongin lost count of time, until he eventually heard a voice calling his name from the backyard patio. It was clear and calming, like a little golden bell chiming in the wind. 

Jongin paused, until the voice called his name again. With a startling realization, he recognized the voice and jumped out of bed. 

The rain had finally stopped. Outside on the patio, the moon was bright and silvery again upon the night sky, casting shimmering sparkles over the calm lake. The aging wood panels under his feet groaned and creaked with every step. There was a fragile silhouette sitting on the bench by the edge of the patio, facing the lake. The gentle evening wind swept up her long white dress ever so slightly, and chilled the tears on Jongin's face. When she turned around to face him, Jongin saw the familiar twinkling crescent eyes, and the same warm smile that haunted his dreams night after night. 

It was Chen, finally she came back. 

Jongin slowly sat down next to her on the bench, as if ever the slightest wrong move would chase the precious apparition away. The words came tumbling out, his voice hoarse and shaky. "What took you so long... I've waited for you since the night you left." 

Chen's delicate features looked pale in the bright moonlight. "But love, I've always been here, you just couldn't see me. You know I would never leave you and Soo." 

She reached out her hand slowly to wipe his tears away. Her touch was cold but soft, and made Jongin's heart tremble uncontrollably. "I know you have good intentions, Jongin. You've always wanted to protect us from other people. But you've done some terrible things. Do you remember now what happened to the drunk driver and Mr. Adams?"

Her words were the final push that patched the bloody memories together, like a jigsaw puzzle that he didn't want to solve. Jongin recalled the sensation of the animalistic impulses coming alive deep within him, after a few drinks and the Seroquel pills blocked out all the human emotions. He finally remembered tracking the drunk driver that killed Chen down slowly but surely, and luring him out of his car one moonless night near a patch of deserted forest, then suffocating and burying him. Mr. Adams suffered a similar fate, although Jongin was more careful this time by using chloroform for sedation, and selecting a burying location much deeper into the woods.

"You have to stop, Jongin. Kyungsoo cannot go down the same path. Schizophrenia could be genetic, he needs your guidance to understand why he feels differently than the other kids."

Jongin had never felt so weary in his life. "I can't... I miss you so much..."

"Love, I will always be there in your heart. But you need to talk to a doctor. I think things will work out eventually." The seriousness in her tone made Jongin pay attention.

"I wish you were still here to fix me... I can't do this on my own..." Jongin's voice was breaking up. He rested his head on her shoulder. It was petite and cold, but just like before, he felts all the aches in his heart slowly fade away. 

"Do you remember the promise we made to each on this patio?" 

Jongin closed his eyes, he remembered everything vividly, the night before their wedding on this very patio, under a brightly shining moon.

"That we will follow each other into the dark, and neither will ever be alone again." Jongin spoke the words he hadn't been able to say out loud for years. "Some days I get sad thinking about how you broke the promise."

"But I didn't, Jongin. I'm with you guys forever, Kyungsoo knows that. Have faith, and look for me. I never left." 

Jongin could feel his head resting on Chen's shoulder getting heavier. A strong drowsiness overtook him, as he uttered his last words before slipping into sleep. "I love you..."

Next to him, he heard a heavy sigh, and felt a soft icy peck on his cheek. "I love you too." 

 

********************

 

The morning sun was bright and soothing, bringing another picture perfect autumn day to the small lakeside town. In the living room, Jongin was helping Kyungsoo get ready for school. The backpack was already on Kyungsoo's shoulder, with lunch packed up inside.

As Jongin zipped up Kyungsoo's jacket, he took one look at the quiet boy, and spoke solemnly. "I'm sorry for what I said last night. I promise I will listen to you more." 

Kyungsoo's hands that were busy tying up shoelaces paused, but he didn't look up. 

Jongin observed the boy as an overwhelming sense of fatherly love filled his heart, so he continued to talk even though every word seemed to have taken up all of his strength. "You were right, I need help, buddy, to get rid of the monster within me. But I promise we will get through this together, ok?"

Still no response from the boy. 

Jongin felt the crush of defeat, and wanted to stop and withdraw back to his old self, like he usually did. But this time, something deep within him pushed for him to continue. He looked around the room and thought for a second before speaking again. "You know how much I love this house, but maybe it's time for a new start in a different town, what do you think? Your grandma in Vancouver would love it if we live closer to her." 

To his surprise, Kyungsoo finally looked up and responded. "I think I would like that."

The simple answer made Jongin feel strangely relieved, as if a heavy weight was lifted from his shoulder. He gave Kyungsoo an appreciative nod, as they slowly walked out of the door together into the sunny morning outside filled with a kaleidoscope of autumn colors. 

With the closing of the front door, the old house sank back into silence. The worn out wood flooring, staircases with rounded edges, attic filled with forgotten mementos, all had witnessed the lives that filled each room season after season. The walls remained quiet until all the memories, mundane or shocking, joyful or bitter, all became secrets of the house, secrets that were eventually left behind and forgotten.


End file.
